The Grey in Between
by Lord Yoshimira
Summary: In a world where The Third Hokage was the one actually responsible for the experiments and not Orochimaru. Watch as Naruto is plunged into a world where his destiny just may be out of his own hands. The gears of life have begun to turn and things set into motion that will literally change the scope of the world. Grey Third, Grey Danzo, Grey Oro, Sharingan Naruto. No Rinn.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A lone figure leaned against a massive oak tree, his breathing coming out rapid and in deep gulps. Golden slit eyes looked over towards a heavily bleeding right shoulder. Orochimaru, praised for being many things, but at the top of that heap of praises the one that stood out the most was the fact that he was in fact a bona fide genius. So the telltale sizzle of an explosive tag sent him moving on instincts built over many long hours of hard work, it would turn out to be a costly mistake. An elbow smashed into his nose causing him to go crashing into and then through a tree. The snake Nin briefly considered throwing in the towel right then and there, but it seemed as if Kami herself had other plans. To his credit he only stayed in the tree for a few moments before dragging himself out holding his shoulder in the process. Various cuts covered his body that simply screamed 'battle'. A lone figure appeared in front of him before speaking.

"Orochimaru-teme. How could you! We trusted you and it turns out you were the reason for all the disappearances!?" The voice came from none other than the one man the pale ninja could ever consider to be a true friend. Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

Now it was said that he was one of the very best at maintaining his emotions. Hell some even used to go as far as to say that the snake sannin could walk in on Tsunade herself in a lesbian orgy and would only apologize and leave without so much as a glance. However, he could scarcely prevent the scowl that his lips formed into before speaking.

"Fool." He started the words dripping forth with venom, " You are too blinded by your devotion that you cannot see the truth. Do not worry dobe, you are going to learn the same way you always do… The hard way."

Enough was enough, the snake ninja could no longer continue with the game of cat and mouse. He was low on chakra and had some annoying wounds that would only become more so if he did not tend to them soon. He would leave the fool to his devices and hope that in the end when the truth is revealed the one he would always consider as a brother did not kill himself in shame.

A friendship that no one could have ever seen coming.

*Flash back – Age 8 Orochimaru*

_Orochimaru could barely fight back the urge to literally skip in his step and whistle a jaunty tune. He had passed that wretched academy and was on to greater and greater things. A frown however suddenly found its way to his pale lips as the news of his recently deceased still had yet to have sunk in. It was so sudden after all. One day you are being told by your parents they are going on a mere C-Ranked mission then the next you are receiving their will and a notification of death. Such was the cruel reality of a ninja village in the middle of yet another war about who knew what. The future sannin shook the thoughts away and resolved to deal with it later. No today was the day he would begin his journey into becoming the greatest of all ninja to walk the lands. To learn every Jutsu created to become the greatest! Such were the dreams of children. He turned to the shout of his name only to see the last person he wanted to see running up to him. He was a thin boy with wild white hair and red lines under each eye. He had that infuriating smile on his lips and was waving the leaf head band over his head. _

"_Ha! I told you teme I could pass that stupid exam!"_

_Orochimaru sneered at the boy before turning away and walking off before throwing his retort over his shoulder as if it were trash._

"_Ha, so even the dobe passed. I guess they were that desperate for cannon fodder."_

_Jiraiya growled before shouting at the retreating pale boy's back. _

"_Mark my words you bastard! I will be the strongest Shinobi ever! Even stronger then the first mark my words."_

_The last thing Jiraiya heard before Orochimaru disappeared was the whisper in the air._

"_Prove it."_

_*End flash back*_

It would later in the years of their being a Genin team would he come to see the dobe as more than just an annoying brat who talked a big game but had none of the strength to back it up. To this day Orochimaru could not tell exactly when the change came, but he was none the less glad in the end that it did happen.

Orochimaru was saved only by years of intense physical training and the drive to be the best. He leapt away from the tree just before a jutsu slammed into it leaving a massive spray of splinters in its wake. The Rasengan that smashed into the tree continued to drill into the ground for another second. Jiraiya quickly stopped the chakra flow and jumped back his right fist reared back to attack. Orochimaru merely offered a small sad smile at the thought of his once brother actually managing to become as strong as he used to dream about as a child.

To the snake sannin being not only a genius but a hard worker, the world was moving in slow motion. He merely twisted gracefully to the side and dodged the punch before bringing his right hand up in a knife edge to the other's chest. The two jumped away from each other their breaths coming forth labored and intense. Sweat, blood and grimed dirtied their faces.

"Curse you old man, " Orochimaru muttered under his breath. There was only one old man he could be cursing at that moment and it just so happened to be the bastard that put him in this particular position .

The third Hokage was always known as a true Shinobi of genius for as long as he could remember. He was the proud student of the second and first Hokage and blessed with a multitude of abilities that have earned him the nickname of "Kami no Shinobi". His love for his village knew no bounds, but there was no boundaries he would not cross. The world was not some fairy tale place where everyone could hope to come together and under the will of the fire hold off any and all advances from other villages. That simply was just not the case and could never be so.

That very man could be found in a dark dank corridor somewhere under the very village he swore to protect. With the mere flick of a wrist a small Katon jutsu was released causing a chain reaction of many other torches to light up. Regal robes barely scraped the ground as he walked till he was in front of what appeared to be but of earth and stone like the many others he had passed. A flurry of hand seals were weaved in less than a second before the wall gave a soft glow. A latch could be heard unhinging. He slowly pushed it open and arrived in a giant brightly lit up medical bay.

Sandals made little sound as he walked through the room he passed large glass tubes that each held a person floating in suspended sleep. Each container was marked with various numbers and a small clipboard with paper work. The Third was unconcerned about those particular projects and was more interested in one. The one project that could finally help him achieve his lifelong dream of a perfect weapon. He arrived in front of a smallish man the top of his head covered in dark unkempt black hair. The slightly too big glasses that rested unstably on his nose slid down slightly with each move he made. He frowned at the Hokage in front of him before giving his report.

"I am sorry Hokage-sama, the test results were not what we had hoped. As it stands only one subject was able to successfully integrate with the First's bloodline and live. We are quite frankly running out of ideas and I do not wish to waste the rest of the test subjects on a one in a hundred chance," his words were nasally and filled with fear. He took a nervous breath before continuing on. " I suggest we move on to stage two and begin working on the enhancer seal. I hold higher hopes now after getting the D.N.A off of one Jugo something or another, I do not remember and it is not important anyways."

The third Hokage wanted nothing more than the very best for his village. He imagined his village as a massive tree its trunk thick from years of growing. The people were its great many leaves that covered the branches. He was the protector of this tree, and if a few leaves had to be sacrificed for the better of the tree then so be it. However, do not misunderstand. The Third was not an evil man in his own opinion. No rather he was a leader whom had the entire village's best interests at heart and in these interests some questionable things were going to have to be done. He thought of it as a fair trade for all those comforts one got to enjoy when they were not at war with this person or that. Oh well at least there was always that one. The special one that was actually able to survive the intergration of the First's ultra-rare bloodline. Yes code name Tenzo would have to do on that front. There were other projects that needed to be done anyways.

"Ok. Begin the testing."

The Hokage was about to turn and leave when suddenly the man cleared his throat again causing him to stop in his footsteps.

"Forgive my… Suggestion, but if I could maybe use… The Kyuubi boy I co…"

The man could continue no longer before the massive killer intent slammed into him like a sledge hammer. He grasped his throat falling to the ground as the famed Sandaime glared at the pathetic man. His words were razor sharp and held no room for rebuttal.

"I have told you this before, Naruto-kun is off limits. He has been selected for another project that I myself will be personally overseeing. See to it that you do not bring this up again" the Hokage paused for a brief second before ideally stroking his goatee. "Or I will be forced to… Remind you that following orders are in your best interest." And like that the killer intent was gone.

The scientist was on the ground lying in a puddle of his own urine and shame. He could manage barely a nod to show he understood. The Third Hokage simply looked down at the man before speaking again.

"Good. Now go clean yourself off, you have work to do."

With that he was gone leaving zero trace he was ever there leaving the man curled on the ground shaking like a leaf in the wind. Judge not the man with the unenviable task of protecting a village at any cost. After all any good leader would do it.

Orochimaru sighed as he leaned against a large rock and coughed a small bit of blood into his hand. He did not know why but for some reason Jiraiya decided he had had enough and left. The Sannin was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and fled leaving Konoha far in his wake. It was now hours later that he could finally rest. However, it was thanks to sense finely tuned over years of war followed by battles for whatever was needed, that saved his life yet again. The Kunai that he has barely avoided was buried to the hilt in a stone buried in the ground. Sannin narrowed his eyes at the one who threw it. He knew this one was not one to be trifled with as a gravelly voice filled the nearby area.

"My my it seems the stories about you at least hold a shred of truth." The hunched figure moved slowly towards Orochimaru before continuing. " My name is Sasori and I have a proposition for you."

Now for as strong as the Sannin was, he knew of Sasori of the Red Sands and all of the stories behind his power. Even in perfect health the pale ninja knew a fight between them would be a very close one. Much too close for the Snake ninja's liking. So the decision was easy.

"Go on."

"Jiji!"

A boy no older than seven burst into the room and leapt at the old man behind the desk. He wrapped him up into a tight embrace and began to jump about upon quickly releasing.

"Come on you promised!" Cerulean blue eyes stared with their patent puppy dog look.

The third looked down and chuckled at the blonde's antics before patting him on the head.

"Ok ok let's go."

Naruto jumped up into the air and thrust his fist up.

"Yatta!"

The two could be seen later walking down the street. Well one was walking the other was running about like a squirrel on crack.

"So then Iruka-sensei was all like 'If you want to become strong ninja of the village you have to know about all of this. But Bahhh what does history have to do with anything? I want to learn Jutsu and more Jutsu! Then I am coming for that hat old man so don't get too comfortable with it! That's my promise of a life time!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only smile at the boy's proclamation before clearing his throat and speaking at the boy in his kindly old grandfather manner.

"Now Naruto-kun, he is right you know. The first lesson I was taught as a boy was to learn history. As the first told me, those who are not aware of what has passed are doomed to repeat it" the third stopped for a brief moment before glancing back down at the small boy and finishing his talk. "When I first heard that I did not understand it, but do you want to know what Naruto-kun?"

The blonde had stopped jumping about and settled down to look at the old man. His eyes seemed to grow wide with interest as he took in what he had to say.

"When I learned the meaning of that saying it was almost too late. You see we are creatures of habit. If we are not aware of what our previous generations went through and learned we would end up making the same mistakes. Only they could end with our own demise. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

Naruto scrunched up his face and tried his best to make sense of what the old man just said to him. However he was but a mere child and a fairly dull one at that so it was akin to demanding a brick wall learn to move its self about. So it was not surprising to the old man when the boy just shook his head no.

The third sighed before slowly gathering his thoughts together and speaking. "Naruto, tell me do you know of the Forth Hokage?"

Now the boy knew all about him. The Yondaime was his hero after all. So he quickly nodded up and down. The third nodded his face a mask of a gentle old man. It was one that he had perfected long ago. He cleared his throat then spoke. "Well if we did not know how he saved the village that faithful day all those years ago, if another great beast were to attack how would we know how to defeat it?"

Naruto's eyes lit up as if a bulb has just went on. He looked at the third with something akin to amazement before speaking slowly. "So… I should learn about this boring history stuff… So I know what to do if something happens like back then?"

The Hokage looked down at the boy before gently nudging him forward so the two were not simply standing in the middle of the road any longer and continued towards their destination.

"Yes something like that. However you should take in everything Iruka-san is trying to teach you and grow to become the great ninja I know you will become" the old man winked at the boy before continuing slyly. "After all I cannot hope to keep up this job forever after all."

Naruto walked slowly at the side of the strongest of all the Shinobi in the village and seemed to soak in the words the famed Hokage was saying. He looked down at his little hands before balling them into tight fists. He would not disappoint the old man. That was a promise of a life time.

The two arrived at a small ramen shop a few minutes later and all sense of seriousness evaporated from the boy's face. No matter what they could be talking about when ramen entered the picture the third might as well been screaming himself hoarse at a tree.

"Oh man Miso ramen here I come." Naruto rubbed his tiny hands together in glee at the very thought.

The two arrived at the small stand and Naruto was quick to make his desires known. "Hey old man! Two bowls of Miso to start off then, I want pork to follow them!"

Teuchi smiled at his favorite customer. He looked over towards the Third and offered a low bow of respect.

"And for you Hokage-sama?"

The third slid on to a stool and offered a small smile towards the ramen chef.

"Just a beef for me please."

The ramen chef offered another less deep bow before going back into the kitchen area to prepare. As soon as he left a brown haired girl came bouncing from the back and grabbed the small boy into a tight hug. She cooed at the boy before pouting.

"Awwww Naruto-chan is too good to say hi to his favorite big sister!"

Naruto growled before struggling in vain in the stronger older girls grasp. Finally she let him go and the boy crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Aww Ayame-chan you know I hate being called Naruto-chan!"

Said girl only ruffled his hair which also annoyed him to no end before offering a polite bow towards the village leader.

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama."

The Hokage offered a smile and a tilt of his head in acknowledgement before glancing down at the freshly placed bowl of ramen in front of him.

"Eat up Naruto-kun it will get cold."

That was all it took before the boy went from pouting to eating. It still even after all this time amazed the Third at how fast he could eat. Never mind the sheer volume of it that also defied all logic. The third frowned at the thought of the younger boy eating like a possessed being. Must be nice to be young.

After the meal was done, the third and Naruto bid the family of ramen chefs a good night before walking back towards the tower. As the sun began to further set down into the sky Naruto being unable to stay still or quite for long period of time snapped the silence with a question that caused the old man to almost lose his composure. "Hey Jiji, why… Why do the people look at me like they hate me?"

The third sighed before pulling out his pipe from within his robes and spoke as kindly as he could.

"Naruto-kun… Sometimes people are blind to what is in front of them. Sometimes while time usually heals all, it takes more than just that." Sarutobi looked down at Naruto and ruffled his hair. "Do not fret about them and only worry about how you can make yourself the best ninja you can be. Protect them and show them your will of the fire and I am sure those looks will disappear."

Naruto frowned. He may have been a child and was most likely not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew when he was being taken for a ride. Hell having to survive like he has for so long with people wishing nothing more than for you to disappear, he was bound to pick up a few things. However he knew when to stop pressing an issue, and this was one of them. After all every time he asked the question he always got the same answer. Oh well he had hoped tonight's would be different. He'll try again at some other time.

"Well you should head home. I have more work to do. Do not stay out late."

With that the Hokage walked into the tower leaving Naruto standing in the ever growing dark street. The young boy placed his hands into his jacket pockets and turned towards his rundown apartment. He had a lot of thinking today and tomorrow was another boring day of class to force himself through. As he walked the ever growing darker streets his small body found itself shivering from a rather cold wind. Small hands tried to warm up cold arms but it was useless.

"Should have worn a thicker jacket."

Then it was as if a brick smashed into the boy's face. The smell of death seemed to permeate in the night's chilly air. The blonde bundle of energy stopped in front of the Uchiha district and frowned. Something deep within seemed to stir in excitement at the smell of blood that seemed to hang stagnant in the air. Naruto took a cautious step towards the gate of the red eyed guys whom always seemed to be around when the glares simply were not enough for some. As he peeked his head around the gate the small boy was quickly on his backside as he gasped in shock at the sight of dead Uchiha bodies everywhere. Just as he was about to turn and run the shrill shriek of a kid no older than him echoed through the ghostly compound. Naruto growled before racing into the Uchiha ground in search of the boy. Maybe he could help somehow.

"Foolish little brother, if you are ever going to hope to beat me you have to have true hatred in your heart. Hate me for taking away mother and father and come for me when you have eyes like mine."

Itachi stared impassionedly at his younger brother before turning to take off. However the last thing the Uchiha prodigy ever expected was the small body of a certain blonde Jinchiruki to slam into his chest taking him off of his feet. Naruto started pounding with everything his small fists could muster. Itachi took a mere half of a second to piece together what had happened before easily picking the blonde child up and holding him in the air kicking and screaming.

"…"

Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs causing the Uchiha to finally send the boy into a sleep induced Genjutsu. The ever stoic Uchiha looked closely at the boy and realized that it was in fact the young Kyuubi container. As his mind ran a million miles an hour he glanced down towards his unconscious brother and the blonde knocked out container in his hand and frowned. The shout for him to cease caused Itachi to shake out of his musings and drop the boy before taking off ANBU hot on his trail.

The Third stood in front of the large window in his office that overlooked the village. His pipe dangled between aged lips as smoke lazily drifted forth. Sharp extremely well trained eyes caught sight of the strongest Uchiha in this generation fleeing from the village with ANBU hot on his trail. A frown mired those aged lips before he turned towards the only other person in the room.

"You may keep the eyes you find, but I will be keeping Shisui's eyes.

Danzo frowned. He had hoped to get that one for himself; however he would gladly take the offered deal anyways. He would be a fool not to.

"Hai Hokage-sama. That will be most acceptable."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled forth a pipe from his robes and knocked it gently against the desk behind him before repacking it. After a lazy Katon Jutsu smoke could be seen curling up from the pipe. The third Hokage was not an evil man. He loved his village with every bit of his heart, but he was realistic. The ninja world was a dark and dangerous place that will eat you up and spit you out if you were not prepared to make hard decisions. The Uchiha clan was a valuable clan to lose. That much was true; however the risk of a bloody civil war was simply not acceptable. So a deal had to be made with a man he would rather never deal with.

"Shame I had to lose Orochimaru in the process. He was a valuable asset."

He was no fool. Sacrafices had to be made sometimes. Someone had to take the fall for the labs that had been found by that fool Chuunin, and Orochimaru just fit the bill all too perfect. A smirk crossed the Third's mouth before he turned and left the room a small hop in his step. Soon his village would have the perfect weapon and if he could help it, future Hokage to ensure the continued prosperity of his beloved village. Although he was slightly sadden by the future of events that would have to happen soon. It could not be helped. The boy would have to face the harsh realities of life sooner than later.

(_AN: I do not usually do post story AN's but I feel it important to make sure everyone kind of gets what I am aiming for. Basically the premise of this story is what if it were not Orochimaru whom did all of those experiments but rather the Third? However unlike with Orochimaru's intentions the Hokage is doing it in a misguided attempt to ensure that Konoha stays top dog. Basically Grey Sandaime, Grey Danzo, and not a good Orochimaru but rather not an evil one. Naru/Temari pairing and other character ones later. This is not a romance based story so the pairing will not be the main focus early on.)_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(AN: This is out faster than I thought it would be but meh do not get used to it updates will be random at best, but not too crazy. If you like or hell dont like what you are reading let me know with a review. We authors can not survive without them .)

A small bit of light danced around the large room being provided by a single candle. The shadows seemed to suffocate the room and if one were not paying better attention they would almost miss the lone figure standing his cane leaning against the table.

Danzo was the leader of ROOT. They did the things the village's reputation could never recover from if they were ever found out. It was believed by and large by the Shinobi part of the council that he had disbanded the program and was a pity appointee on the advisory board. However that could not have been further from the truth. He slowly turned his single eye towards a random seeming direction before making a small hand gesture. Two white masked ninjas appeared kneeing awaiting orders.

"Do not fail me." The words had barely left his mouth before the two ninja that were in front of him had disappeared.

Danzo frowned as he seemed to stare off into nothingness. His mind was going a million mile an hour it felt like. Each thought was gone before it could even register. It was rare for a man as meticulous as him to fall prey to such weakness as this. Control of one's thoughts and emotions was stressed above all by his very own teachings. However, despite what many believed he was human and thus even he could fall victim to his own mind's ramblings.

"Hmmm, just what are you planning Sarutobi."

With that the old man grabbed his cane and hobbled off into the darkness. The act of limping long since ingrained into his muscle memory. It was a habit he knew he would most likely never be able to get rid of. Oh well he had more important things to worry about. Such as the research lab that was now filled with many eyes donated to him thanks to a certain Uchiha coup to work with. The next few years were going to be very interesting to say the least.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto stared at the white tiles of the hospital room and sighed for the millionth time that day. He knew he was fine now if only the horrible nurses would let him out. Alas that was simply not meant to be.

"Uzumaki-san. Good news. You are cleared to leave."

Naruto jumped at the nurse's sudden appearance. However, his shock died down and turned into raw excitement with in the same second. It was plainly obvious what was going through the blonde container's mind.

"I am going to eat so much ramen!"

The nurse that came into the room to announce the boy's freedom simply walked off her face expressionless however before she was out of sight a small scowl graced her lips. Of course Naruto could have never noticed this even if she were standing in front of him. Too powerful was the allure of ramen and all of its noodle goodness. As he raced around the room to get his clothing on the soft pop of someone appearing out of thin air caused the boy to stop in his tracks and stare in awe.

"Hokage-sama has sent for you."

Naruto watched as the ANBU suddenly disappeared in a swirl of leaves leaving the boy standing stock still like a statue. That however was not meant to last for someone as energetic as he was so with a shrug he was off like a rocket into the bathroom and out of the thin gown and into his orange jumpsuit of death. With a lopsided grin the young boy ran from the room and out of the hospital front door, all the while oblivious to the glares and half scowls that followed his retreating form.

Sarutobi looked at the ever growing pile of paper on his desk and wove through a set of seals faster than most can even blink. What was once a stack of paperwork was now a pile of ashes. The third smirked before pulling out his all too familiar pipe. A good smoke after all that hard work was in order. At least that was the original plan.

"You cannot go in there!"

The sigh escaped his lips before he could even begin to guess at what was causing the commotion outside of his door.

"Shut up hag!"

With that the double doors slammed open to reveal a young blonde child struggling against the soon to be fired secretary. The Hokage cleared his throat loudly causing both of them to stop what they were doing and look up at the less then pleased Hokage. The secretary was new. It was almost comical what followed.

"I am sorry Hokage-sama, but this… Boy was trying to break into here and of course you being the busy man you are have no time for such childish things. If you may I will have ANBU remove him this moment."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose before making a quick motion of his hand causing two ANBU to appear from within the shadows.

"Inu and Hebi escort MS… Well it does not matter out of here please." The look that followed said more than the actual order.

The secretary stood there slack jawed as she was grasped on the shoulder by both agents then disappeared in a swirl of leaves leaving Naruto standing there a bewildered look on his face.

"Whoa! That was awesome "the boy shouted his body suddenly becoming a moving blur of excitement.

The third chuckled at the boy's antics before informing him to sit down so they could begin the meeting. As the blonde boy bounced over towards the seat, the two ANBU suddenly appeared again offered a small bow each before the door closed and they were gone again melting into the shadows.

"I have got to learn how to do that" said Naruto as he looked on in awe. However it was the clearing of the Hokage's throat that caused him to focus back on the older man. The Third smiled before going into what he had to say.

"Naruto-kun as I am sure you are aware of, you saw what no child should ever have to see. However I must know why it was you were at the Uchiha district."

Naruto sat there his small legs dangling from the comfortable chair. His brilliant blue eyes squinted in thought as his 7 year old mind tried to recall everything as best as he could. However it was all a blur and he was just having the hardest time even remembering what he did that day much less that night.

"Jiji I… I am sorry but every time I try to remember it just seems blurry."

The Third sat there expressionless as he tried to think of all the possibilities. He frowned internally and thought through his next statement. The more he thought about it the less he really saw it as important. No what was more important was that the boy goes home.

"Ok Naruto-kun. Go ahead and head home. Go straight there and do not leave. I will have some ramen brought to you but you are not to leave your home."

Naruto frowned as his young mind tried to process what was being said to him. The boy while a little on the slow side, was well aware of a few things. When his jiji talked like that it was usually in his best interest to heed him. So with a sad frown the boy nodded but instantly perked up when he remembered the man said he would get ramen anyways.

"Ok Jiji I will head home."

The boy hopped off the chair and walked out of the office leaving the Hokage to himself. He looked at the picture of Minato and sighed. He had hoped to be able to work on his dream of a stronger Konoha in peace while the easily manipulated blonde powerhouse took care of all the annoying paper work and politics. No such luck for him, almost as if Kami had it out for him. The Third smirked as he pulled his pipe from his robes and dumped the ashes. After tonight the first part of his plan will be done and with it a new sword for the safety of Konoha will be forged.

"You will be my greatest accomplishment Naruto." With that he lit the pipe and inhaled deeply of its rich tobacco.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto was already out of the tower and racing down the main street towards his apartment. It was late in the afternoon by that time and the roads were just starting to clear out. However there were still a few civilian merchants selling things here and there and they made sure to go out of their way to offer the boy a less than kind glare. Of course when the boy was first being subjected to this he was confused as to why everyone hated him. However all the years of being treated as less than dog shit had the perk of allowing him to grow thick skin towards these things. Although the boy would sooner bite his own arm off then admit that he craved just one friend. Anyone his age to play with. A small smile tugged on his lips despite the dark mood that was brewing in the young boy. Oh they games and secrets they would tell each other. Oh well once he got into the Academy he would have a friend damn it!

A few minutes of walking allowed for the boy to arrive in front of his door and key through the hole. A small feeling tugged at the back of his mind as if to warn him, but the small boy shrugged off the feeling before walking through into the dark apartment. The Uzumaki child slipped out of his sandals and went to flick up the switch to turn on the lights when suddenly there was a sharp pain on the back of his skull. This has the result of sending the poor boy smashing into the floor. As he held valiantly on to consciousness he was able to barely make out the white porcelain mask that stared back at him before sweet painful darkness over took him causing him to pass out. The masked ninja knelt down in front of the child before placing the kunai on the side of the boy's face near the left eye.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto awoke suddenly to find himself face down on a rough stone like surface. He looked around the area to find himself in front of a massive sewer like system. Pipes ran to and fro with random bursts of steam coming from different directions. The imminent feeling of death seemed to floor him almost cause his body to work on its own to walk towards it. The 7 year old got up on to his feet and started heading towards the feeling. It could have been hours or minutes the boy was not too sure, but one thing he was sure of was that he was tired of the place he was in.

So it was safe to say he was shocked to his core when he turned one last corner to end up in a massive room with a cage in it. A small piece of paper seemed to be the only thing keeping it shut. The boy squinted at the Kanji on it but was unable to read it and simply shrugged before slowly walking towards it. A massive pair of blood red eyes fell on the boy causing him to yelp in surprise and fall on his back side.

A deep set of chuckles filled the room as the massive eyes had a massive maw of teeth to accompany them now. Naruto simply sat there shaking like a leaf on a tree before the large set of teeth began to move.

"**So my jailer has come to meet me. A little earlier then I had expected but I digress. Free me mortal and I will make your death quick and mostly painless."**

Naruto frowned as even his slow mind was able to make a few deductions. Whatever it was had been trapped behind that cage. So logically that made it harmless. Well hopefully so. Never one to let a maybe ruin his plans, the small boy stood up and glared at the huge set of teeth and eyes.

"Who are you anyways and where am I?" He stated his chest a little puffed out.

The Kyuubi bashed its head into the bars causing the small blonde to jump back in surprise. However Naruto was forced to frown when the great beast started laughing. It seemed to think something it had done was funny, something the blonde boy failed to find in anything that had just happened.

"**You are either very brave, or very stupid. I will assume the second so do not kill yourself with fear at my name. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the greatest of the great" **if at all possible the set of eyes and teeth seemed to radiate pride in between the constant killer intent.

Naruto scratched his head before tiling it in confusion. He had heard that name before but his simple mind was just not able to place it at that moment. However judging but how proud of its self the beast was even he knew it would be a grave insult to not at least act like he had heard of him. Oh well time to swing at the fences even if he was not sure where he was yet.

"Ah ok… So when does Kami get here? I assume I am waiting to be judged and you are here to drag me to hell if I am judged unworthy." Naruto spoke with a lot more confidence than he felt at that moment. However it was the only thing that made sense being as the Kyuubi he could think of was dead.

The Kyuubi was literally rendered speechless. The boy truly was stupid. The fox demon frowned, now that was not a good thing for one as prideful such as him. His containers had to be the best even if he hated the feeling of being trapped.

"And let me tell you something else! I know the ramen gods will not let me be dragged to hell. Kami knows we all know the great ramen…" He continued on but the Kyuubi had begun to tune him out.

If it were capable it would arch an eyebrow at the boy. It was apparent that he had continued to talk throughout his mental musings and had reached a point where the fox demon did not even know how to break in to it. So he did it with all the grace of a bull and shouted.

"**SHUT UP! You are by far the worst container I had ever had the displeasure of being in! Get out of my sight!"**

Naruto felt himself being lifted off of his feet and expelled so to speak from the sewer. The boy tried to open his eyes but found this to be impossible at the moment. His head pounded like hammers were bashing his skull in. The small cup of water that was at his bed side might as well have been miles away as it were close with his inability to see anything at all. A soft hand was felt on his left shoulder almost causing the boy to jump from his skin in surprise. A soft giggle could be heard before a sweet angelic voice filled his ears.

"My my Naruto-kun only you would be so energetic after being in a coma for four days. Father sent me down here to see how our favorite customer was. I can see him now weeping in sorrow at the loss of your business" spoke the voice that he knew all too well.

The blonde could literally feel the purr in his throat as he flushed with pride at his ability to eat ramen like no mortal person should be able to. However, the thought that the old man was worried about him caused him to smile at the warm feeling it caused. Someone cared about him. He heard a soft gasp before Ayame spoke up again only this time slightly more panicked.

"Naruto-kun you got blood coming down the sides of your bandages. I will go get a nurse!"

With that she was gone faster than a civilian should be able to do. Naruto frowned at the fact he had not realized that he could in fact not see anything. He put his small hands over where his eyes were supposed to be to find bandages wrapped around them. A small bit of moisture graced his fingers but not enough in his opinion to warrant that kind of reaction.

Naruto's sharp hearing caught the mildly quick steps of a nursing being dragged to the young container's room.

The nurse was not overly pleased about it. First she was about to enjoy a fresh cup of tea her first mind you and this girl dares drag her from that sweet jasmine tea to see the demon of all people. It literally took her a few seconds of breathing deeply to keep from murdering the girl on the spot. However as soon as she turned to give her a full piece of her mind a rough hand firmly grabbed her shoulder causing her to pause in mid rant and turn towards the source. Imagine her surprise when she looked over to see the Third glaring at her with a small dose of killer intent packed behind it.

"Now I am sure you are more than delighted to take a look at our young friend here." His words were sharp and filled with absolute faith that she would do what he wanted.

The nurse took the smart route and simply nodded towards the Hokage and walked over towards the boy and proceeded to run a diagnostic scan on his eyes. While she did this the Third turned towards the young future ramen chef and offered one of his patented grandfatherly smiles. She had been oblivious to the exchange just then. He almost envied that kind of blissful ignorance.

He cleared his throat before talking, "Now Ayame-chan if you wouldn't mind I need to talk to Naruto-kun here in private for a little while. If you want you may come back in say two hours. Oh and please bring the boy a few bowls as well on me. "

He reached into his robe and produced a few bills of ryo for the young girl way more than enough to pay for what he wanted. As she opened her mouth to protest the look the Third gave her shut her up. So she bowed quickly before turning towards the blonde and frowning before walking off. The third turned towards the nurse whom had just finished her checkup and stared at her expectantly. She sighed and spoke softly her voice devoid of any excitement at all.

"The implants are still fragile, but he is healing at an amazing rate. No doubt due to his…"

She stopped when the Ki filled glare slammed into her full force once again almost causing her to lose any and all lunch she may have considered eating. However the Hokage had heard enough to know the young Uzumaki was ahead of schedule and would be ready to start training soon. He looked down at the young boy whom knew he was there but was for once silent. It did not matter how he looked at it the older man was forced to admit he lost more sleep then not over most of his decisions. This would be yet another weight added to all of the weight that already rested on his shoulders. Kami knew he would be going to hell for his sins. Oh well guilt was for people who had the time to ponder things like that. He had to get Naruto as strong as possible. He would be the sword and shield that protects his beloved village. Of course the Third was not a cruel man. He would help the boy, but he would not push him into becoming a mindless tool. No a free thinking emotional man was one with attachments. Those where the strongest of the strong.

"Jiji.."

The Sarutobi leader smirked. He knew the boy would break first. This was good it made it easier for him to not seem overly eager to force an explanation to him.

"Yes Naruto-kun."

"Am… Am I going to die?"

He was barely able to bite back the slight gasp at the question. He had expected it to go a whole different direction. Leave it to the most unpredictable future ninja to throw him a curve ball like that.

"No Naruto-kun you are not."

Naruto let out the breath he had not known he was holding and literally slumped deeper into the white pillows. The relief was literally rolling off of his face his waves. Despite himself the older man chuckled at the boy's antics. However there was too much that needed to be explained to the boy and little time to get to it, so with all the grace only one his age could have the Hokage changed the topic and got to the point he wanted to talk about.

He started quickly, "Now Naruto-kun I know you are most likely bursting with questions to ask, but I ask you to try and hold them until I have finished telling you what has happened to you these past few days ok?"

Naruto nodded and turned towards where he could best guess the Hokage was standing judging by his voice and waited patiently for the old man to begin.

"I am sorry to tell you that you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. A man had broken into your house to steal from it and you happened to come home." The Hokage grinned internally. Sometimes the simplest explanations were the best.

The young boy shook slightly as soft sobs came from the boy. If what he heard shocked him what was coming next was going to send him under.

"He slashed your eyes out."

Naruto's world stopped. Every sound that was being made seemed to become mute, and he could barely be bothered to draw in air to breath. If not for the fact his brain was working on its own accord it would have simply shut down. However after what felt like hours, but was in reality a few seconds the blonde found his hands tracing over where his eyes should be and winced in pain. He wanted to say something but found the words stuck in his throat. Instead he simply hung his head and waited for the Hokage to continue.

"However you should be glad to know you were fortunate enough that we had a pair we could implant. You will not lose your eye sight if that is what you were worried about. However you are going to have some… Adjustment time with them. After all they are Uchiha eyes."

Naruto fainted. The Hokage would look back on that and think to himself why had he not seen that coming? However as it was now he was surprised. Hiruzen shrugged before walking off leaving the boy alone. There was a lot of maybes riding on that boy it sometimes hurt his head when he really thought about them. Maybe the Kyuubi will integrate the eyes into the boy so he would become a defacto Uchiha. Maybe he will be able to fully control those eyes or maybe he could die from them. So many questions and what ifs that it was best to just hope for the best. After all Naruto was the only person alive who at least had a chance of this working out. With that the room was once again inhabited only by the now unconscious form of Naruto and silence.


End file.
